Archive: Judaism

Click on a category name to view a list of all Beliefnet's stories in that topic:

Culture & Life | God & Torah
Holidays & Lifecycle | Holocaust
Interfaith Issues | Jewish Identity
Israeli/American Politics | Spirituality & Beliefs

Culture & Jewish Life
Under the Joy, Dark Notes
Avivah Zornberg's latest give us a layered reading of Exodus
By Sarah Blustain

Southern Jews, Rediscovered
New histories of Southern Jews close a troubling identity gap.
6/3/01
by Lauren F. Winner

A Novel Kabbalist
A talk with Mitchell Chefitz, author of a novel about kabbalists and kabbalistic themes.
5/10/01
by Rodger Kamenetz

African American and Orthodox Jewish
Black converts to Orthodox Judaism discuss what drew them to their new faith and the challenges they face from both communities.
by Debra Goldberg

Take a Chant on Me
Or, how siddha-yoga chanting enhances my Jewishness.

By Jill Maxi Schreibman

Communal Culpability
Accusations of abuse against a youth leader raise disturbing questions about why--and how--a community could look the other way.

by Blu Greenberg

Raising Mensches
Two new books will help parents teach their kids about Shabbat, honoring their parents, and other matters Jewish.

by Vanessa Ochs

Spiritual Sundance
At the film festival, a documentary about Hasidic homosexuals is just one entry.

by Richard Baimbridge

Wonder of Wonders
I didn't know even know my Aleph Bet, but by the end an eight-hour Hebrew language marathon, I was able to read.

by Alan Gelb

Beyond Netiquette: A Torah of Listening
Applying age-old wisdom to the most modern form of communication can help us overcome the deficiencies in e-mail 'conversation.'

By Rodger Kamenetz

Jewish Soul in a Jazz Setting
Steven Bernstein puts the sex appeal back in traditional Jewish music by adding an Afro-Cuban mood
1/25/01
by Jill Maxi Schreibman

The Last Bat Mitzvah
Amid the rain and cold, a father finds the light and meaning of his daughter's bat mitzvah.

by Rodger Kamenetz

Banishing the Bible from Campus
Colleges are treating evangelical and Orthodox Jewish students like outcasts and bigots for their views on gays and sex

by Elliott Abrams

Can Shul Be Cool?
The synagogue, once dismissed as irrelevant, attempts a comeback for everyone from the fervently pious to the atheist humanist

by Howard Lovy

Fearless Leader, Passionate Teacher
Alexander Schindler knew how to disagree without being disagreeable, says a friend and critic of the late rabbi.
by Arthur Hertzberg

Orthodox, Feminist, and Proud of It
Judaism's Orthodox feminist movement has succeeded in opening doors for women committed both to Jewish law and gender equality

by Blu Greenberg

Reform Judaism Approves Same-Sex Unions
Read the resolution approved by the movement's rabbinic body

Consequences Unclear
Reform Judaism's gay marriage can be a success, like feminism, or a failure, like patrilineal descent

by Samuel G. Freedman

A Historic Day
A blessing to have taken part in a groundbreaking decision

by Jane Rachel Litman

A Sad Day for Judaism
OKing gay marriage ignores Jewish law and will divide Judaism

by Elliott Abrams

In the Bedroom With Bukiet
The author of 'Neurotica' explains why a nice Jewish boy would compile an anthology of Jewish erotica

by Lisa Keys

Let My People Go To Work
With three kids in Jewish day school, how come I can't restart my career?

by Sharon Silow-Carroll

Remembering Rabin
Less than a week after Camp David peace talks collapse, a trip to the fallen Israeli leader's grave takes on added significance

by Michael Kress

Living Wired, Losing Our Grip
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi--and head of a Jewish website--clarifies and defends a rabbinic ban on personal Internet use

by Rabbi Yaakov Menken

Taking a Chance on Love
Rabbis cash in on the Vegas weddings boom, with not too many questions asked

By Jaap van Wesel

Teach Your (Jewish) Children Well
Jewish leaders are looking to Jewish schools--and school vouchers--to ensure a thriving future for Judaism in America
3/9/00
by Michael Kress

A Meditation on the Sofer
A writer meditates on the role of the sofer--scribe--who ensures the continuity of vital Jewish texts.
6/5/00
by Holly J. Lebowitz

Jewish Athletes
Test your knowledge of Jews in sports with this quiz.
3/13/00

Who Wants to Marry the King of Persia?
On Purim, we remember an earlier version of the recent television special. Only this time, the ending is quite different
3/27/00
by Andrew Silow-Carroll

Mardi Gras with the Krewe du Jieux
Gold bagels, Jewish grandmothers, cool Klezmer--and no pork in sight
4/7/00
by Rodger Kamenetz

The Power to Madden
A "deceptively simple" documentary sheds light on one of the many who stood by as millions were killed in the Holocaust
5/22/00
by Arthur Magida

Changing the Face of American Judaism
Jews adopting nonwhite babies
5/22/00
By Debra Nussbaum Cohen

Jews and Baby Showers
Are they okay?
6/1/00 by Adam Katz-Stone

A Small-Screen Roundup of Who's a (Female) Jew
Jewish women are featured prominently in television series more than ever this season
6/23/00
by Nora Lee Mandel

The Golem All Around Me
A self-described Golemologist returns to the city where this mythical creature ruled centuries ago--and still does today
9/04/00
By Rodger Kamenetz

Jewish Love Day
Who needs Valentine's Day, when there's Tu B'Av?
9/14/00
By Shmuley Boteach

Jews In Jail
Jews in America's prisons face discrimination and abandonment
9/26/00
by Rodger Kamenetz

God & Torah
For an archive of Beliefnet's Torah commentaries, click here.

Who Needs a New Torah Commentary?
Some are content to study Torah with only medieval commentary, but I felt it was time for a modern update.
5/21/01
By Richard Elliott Friedman

Beyond Netiquette: A Torah of Listening
Applying age-old wisdom to the most modern form of communication can help us overcome the deficiencies in e-mail 'conversation.'
3/4/01
By Rodger Kamenetz

Banishing the Bible from Campus
Colleges are treating evangelical and Orthodox Jewish students like outcasts and bigots for their views on gays and sex
1/15/01
by Elliott Abrams

Test Your Knowledge of Genesis
Genesis Quiz
1/28/00

Are Jews Chosen?
Ask the rabbi
3/8/00
by Rabbi David Wolpe

Is Anybody Listening?
Prayer remains a vital component of our religious experience, even if God does not swoop down to remove our tumors
4/6/00
by David Wolpe

A Meditation on the Sofer
A writer meditates on the role of the sofer--scribe--who ensures the continuity of vital Jewish texts.
6/5/00
by Holly J. Lebowitz

God's Word?
Believers find various ways to reconcile modern biblical scholarship with their faith in the Bible as God's word
10/27/00
by David Wolpe

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